Editing Rodney King (section)

==1991 police assault in Los Angeles==
{{Infobox civilian attack
| title = Beating of Rodney King
| image = R King beating.png
| caption = Screenshot of King being beaten by [[Los Angeles Police Department|LAPD]] officers
| date = {{start date and age|1991|3|3}}
| time = {{circa}} 12:45 [[12-hour clock|a.m.]]
| timezone = [[Pacific Time Zone|PST]]
| location = [[Los Angeles]], [[California]], U.S.
| coordinates = {{coord|34.273182|-118.393596|format=dms|name=}}
| type = [[Assault|Beating]], [[police brutality]]
| motive =
| target =
| fatalities = 
| perpetrators =
| convicted = {{plainlist|
*[[Stacey Koon|Stacey Cornell Koon]]
*Laurence M. Powell
}}
| victim = Rodney Glen King
| charges = 
'''Federal charges:'''
*Briseño, Powell, Wind: [[Police brutality|Willfully and intentionally using unreasonable force]]
*Koon: [[Aiding and abetting|Willfully permitting and failing to take action]] to stop an unlawful [[assault]]
'''State charges:'''
*[[Assault]] with a [[deadly weapon]]
*[[Excessive use of force]]
*[[Police misconduct|Filing a false incident report]] (Koon and Powell){{Infobox event
| verdict = '''Federal charges:'''
*Koon and Powell [[Guilt (law)|guilty]]
*Briseño and Wind [[Acquittal|not guilty]]
'''State charges:'''
*Briseño, Koon, and Wind not guilty on all counts
*Powell not guilty of excessive force and filing a false report, [[hung jury]] on count of assault; assault charge dismissed once federal charges filed
| convictions =
| title = <br />
| child = yes
| sentence = Koon and Powell:<br />{{frac|2|1|2}} years in federal prison
}}
}}
Early in the morning of Sunday, March 3, 1991, King, with his friends Bryant Allen and Freddie Helms, were driving a 1987 [[Hyundai Excel]] west on the [[Foothill Freeway]] (Interstate 210) in the [[San Fernando Valley]] of Los Angeles. The three had spent the night watching basketball and drinking at a friend's house in Los Angeles.<ref name="jurist.law.pitt.edu">{{cite web|author=Linder, D. | author-link= Doug Linder|url=http://jurist.law.pitt.edu/trials24.htm |title=The Rodney King Beating Trials |publisher=[[Jurist]] |date=December 2001 |access-date=December 1, 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091203041211/http://jurist.law.pitt.edu/trials24.htm |archive-date=December 3, 2009 }}</ref> At 12:30&nbsp;a.m., officers Tim and Melanie Singer, husband and wife members of the [[California Highway Patrol]], noticed King's car speeding on the freeway. They pursued King with lights and sirens, and the pursuit reached 117&nbsp;mph (188&nbsp;km/h), while King refused to pull over.<ref name="law.umkc.edu">{{cite web|author=Linder, D.|url=http://law2.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/lapd/lapdaccount.html|title=The Trials of Los Angeles Police Officers' in Connection with the Beating of Rodney King |publisher=[[University of Missouri–Kansas City]] |date=2001 |access-date=March 2, 2016}}</ref><ref name="SC Decision">{{cite web|url=http://law2.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/lapd/koonvunitedstates.html |title=Stacey C. Koon, Petitioner 94-1664 v. United States |publisher=[[University of Missouri–Kansas City]] |date=June 13, 1996 |access-date=March 2, 2016}}</ref> King would later say he fled the police hoping to avoid a [[driving under the influence]] charge and the parole violation that could follow.<ref>Cannon. ''Official Negligence'': p. 43.</ref>

King left the freeway near the [[Hansen Dam#Hansen Dam Recreation Area|Hansen Dam Recreation Area]] <!-- {{where|date=January 2016}} --> and the pursuit continued through residential streets at speeds ranging from {{convert|55|to|80|mph|round=5|km/h}}, and through at least one red light.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1991/03/18/us/seven-minutes-los-angeles-special-report-videotaped-beating-officers-puts-full.html |title=Seven Minutes in Los Angeles&nbsp;– A special report; Videotaped Beating by Officers Puts Full Glare on Brutality Issue |work=[[The New York Times]] |date=March 18, 1991 |access-date=March 2, 2016 |first1=Seth |last1=Mydans |first2=Richard W. |last2=Stevenson |first3=Timothy |last3=Egan}}</ref><ref name="usnews.com">{{Cite news |author=Whitman, David |url=https://www.usnews.com/news/articles/1993/05/23/the-untold-story-of-the-la-riot|title=The Untold Story of the LA Riot |work=[[U.S. News & World Report]] |date=May 23, 1993 |access-date=March 2, 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://law2.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/lapd/lapdaccount.html|title=An Account of the Los Angeles Police Officers' Trials (The Rodney King Beating Case)|website=law2.umkc.edu|access-date=February 2, 2020}}</ref> By this point, several police cars and a police helicopter had joined in the pursuit. After approximately {{convert|8|mi|km|0}}, officers cornered King in his car. The first five [[Los Angeles Police Department]] (LAPD) officers to arrive were [[Stacey Koon]], Laurence Powell, Timothy Wind, Theodore Briseno and Rolando Solano.<ref name="usnews.com"/>

===Beating===
Officer Tim Singer ordered King and his two passengers to exit the vehicle and to lie face down on the ground. Allen claims that he was manhandled, kicked, stomped, taunted and threatened.<ref>{{cite news|date= March 21, 1991|title= Passenger Describes L.A. Police Beating Of Driver, Calls It Racial|url= http://articles.sun-sentinel.com/1991-03-21/news/9101140811_1_police-officers-bryant-allen-three-men|newspaper= [[The New York Times]]|access-date= November 10, 2014|archive-date= November 11, 2014|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20141111070629/http://articles.sun-sentinel.com/1991-03-21/news/9101140811_1_police-officers-bryant-allen-three-men|url-status= dead}}</ref> Helms was hit on the head while lying on the ground; he was treated for a laceration on the top of his head.<ref>{{cite news |last= Newton|first= Jim|date= March 6, 1993|title= Prosecutor Says Officers Hit Passenger in King's Car|url= https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1993-03-06-me-157-story.html|newspaper= [[Los Angeles Times]]|access-date= November 10, 2014}}</ref> His bloody baseball cap was turned over to police. King remained in the car. When he emerged, King was reported to have giggled, to have patted the ground and waved to the police helicopter overhead.<ref name="usnews.com"/> King grabbed his buttocks, which Officer Melanie Singer took to mean King was reaching for a weapon,<ref>Cannon. ''Official Negligence'': p. 27.</ref> though he was later found to be unarmed.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://time.com/4245175/rodney-king-la-riots-anniversary/|title=Rodney King Beating at 25: What Happened in Los Angeles|first1=Chelsea|last1=Matiash|first2=Lily|last2=Rothman|date=March 3, 2016|access-date=July 20, 2016|magazine=Time}}</ref> She drew her pistol and pointed it at King, ordering him to lie on the ground. Singer approached, gun drawn, preparing to arrest him. At this point, Koon, the ranking officer at the scene, told Singer that the LAPD was taking command and ordered all officers to holster their weapons.<ref>{{Cite news|title = Bid for Officers' Acquittal Fails: King case: The judge, in rejecting the defense motion, rules that there is sufficient evidence to support a conviction of each defendant in the beating of the motorist|url = https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1992-03-18-me-3983-story.html|newspaper = Los Angeles Times|date = March 18, 1992|access-date = November 21, 2015|issn = 0458-3035|first = Richard A.|last = Serrano}}</ref>

According to the official report, LAPD Sergeant Koon ordered the four other LAPD officers at the scene—Briseno, Powell, Solano and Wind—to subdue and handcuff King using a technique called a "swarm", where multiple officers grab a suspect with empty hands, to overcome potential resistance quickly. The four officers claim King resisted attempts to restrain him when he stood up to remove Officers Powell and Briseno from his back. Both King and witnesses dispute that claim. The officers would also testify later that they believed King was under the influence of [[phencyclidine]] (PCP),<ref>Cannon. ''Official Negligence'': {{Page needed|date=September 2010}}</ref> although King's toxicology tested negative for the drug.<ref>Cannon, Lou (March 16, 1993). "[http://tech.mit.edu/V113/N14/king.14w.html Prosecution Rests Case in Rodney King Beating] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160305012123/http://tech.mit.edu/V113/N14/king.14w.html |date=March 5, 2016 }}". ''[[The Washington Post]]''. Retrieved December 1, 2009.</ref>

At this point, Holliday's video recording shows King on the ground after being tasered by Koon. He rises and rushes toward Powell—as argued in court, either to attack Powell or to flee—and King and Powell collided in a rush.<ref name="report 91"/>{{rp|6}} Taser wire can be seen on King's body. Officer Powell strikes King with his [[baton (law enforcement)|baton]], and King is knocked to the ground. Powell strikes King several more times with his baton. Briseno moves in, attempting to stop Powell from striking again, and Powell stands back. Koon reportedly said, "Stop! Stop! That's enough! That's enough!" King rises again, to his knees; Powell and Wind are seen hitting King with their batons.<ref>{{cite web|last=Serrano|first=Richard A.|date=March 7, 1992|title=CHP Officer Describes Chase, Beating of King : LAPD: One defendant tried to stop another's baton blows to motorist's head, she says.|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1992-03-07-mn-3544-story.html|access-date=October 21, 2020|website=Los Angeles Times|language=en-US}}</ref>

Koon acknowledged ordering the continued use of batons, directing Powell and Wind to strike King with "power strokes". According to Koon, Powell and Wind used "bursts of power strokes, then backed off". The officers beat King. In the videotape, King continues to try to stand again. Koon orders the officers to "hit his joints, hit the wrists, hit his elbows, hit his knees, hit his ankles". Officers Wind, Briseno, and Powell attempted numerous baton strikes on King, resulting in some misses but with 33 blows hitting King, plus seven<ref>{{cite web|url=https://abcnews.go.com/Archives/video/march-1991-rodney-king-videotape-9758031|title=Video: March 7, 1991: Video of Rodney King Beaten by Police Released|website=ABC News}}</ref> kicks. The officers again "swarm" King, but this time a total of eight officers are involved in the swarm. King is placed in handcuffs and cord cuffs, restraining his arms and legs. King is dragged on his abdomen to the side of the road to await the arrival of emergency medical rescue.<ref>{{cite web|last=Curry|first=George E.|date=June 23, 2012|title=Rodney King symbolized police brutality|url=https://milwaukeecourieronline.com/index.php/2012/06/23/rodney-king-symbolized-police-brutality/l|access-date=August 25, 2022 |website=Milwaukee Courier Online|language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Gray |first= D.E. |author-link= |date=March 9, 2010 |title=The Warrior in Me |location= |publisher=  Xlibris|page= 212|isbn=978-1-4500-5797-4}}</ref>

===Holliday's video===
[[File:Kingbeating.jpg|thumb|right|Screenshots of King lying down and being beaten by [[Los Angeles Police Department|LAPD]] officers|297x297px]]
Plumbing salesman and amateur videographer George Holliday's videotape of the beating was shot on his camcorder from his apartment near the intersection of Foothill Boulevard and Osborne Street in [[Lake View Terrace]]. Two days later (March 5), Holliday called LAPD headquarters at Parker Center to let the police department know that he had a videotape of the incident. Still, he could not find anyone interested in seeing the video. He went to [[KTLA]], a local television station,  with his recording. KTLA's [[Warren Griffin Wilson|Warren Wilson]] was the first reporter to take on the story, interviewing King inside his jail ward.<ref> Los Angeles Sentinel Staff. Groundbreaking Reporter Warren Wilson Passes Away. Los Angeles Sentinel. October 9, 2024. https://lasentinel.net/groundbreaking-reporter-warren-wilson-passes-away.html</ref><ref>Warren Wilson Overcame. TV Week. June 27, 2005. https://www.tvweek.com/in-depth/2005/06/warren-wilson-overcame/</ref>
Holliday, whose video camera was in another part of his residence, was unable to retrieve it until the officers were already in the act of beating King.<ref>{{cite news |title=How citizen journalism has changed since George Holliday's Rodney King video |author=Steve Myers |url=http://www.poynter.org/latest-news/top-stories/121687/how-citizen-journalism-has-changed-since-george-hollidays-rodney-king-video/ |date=March 3, 2011 |access-date=August 19, 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140821042730/http://www.poynter.org/latest-news/top-stories/121687/how-citizen-journalism-has-changed-since-george-hollidays-rodney-king-video/ |archive-date=August 21, 2014 }}</ref> The footage as a whole became an instant media sensation. Portions were aired numerous times, and it "turned what would otherwise have been a violent, but soon forgotten, encounter between the Los Angeles police and an uncooperative suspect into one of the most widely watched and discussed incidents of its kind".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://law2.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/lapd/kingvideo.html|title=The Holliday Videotape, George Holliday Video of King Beating|publisher=University of Missouri Kansas City Law School}}</ref>

Several "[[copwatch]]" organizations subsequently were started throughout the United States to safeguard against police abuse, including an umbrella group, October 22 Coalition to Stop Police Brutality.<ref><!--{{cite web |url=https://www.pbs.org/speaktruthtopower/issue_police.html |title=Police Brutality |work=Speak Truth to Power |publisher=pbs.org |access-date=July 1, 2012}}-->[https://www.pbs.org/speaktruthtopower/issue_police.html PBS.org] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160507221423/http://www.pbs.org/speaktruthtopower/issue_police.html |date=May 7, 2016 }} The ACLU {{cite web|url=https://www.aclu.org/police/gen/14614pub19971201.html#credits |title=Fighting Police Abuse: A Community Action Manual |access-date=November 9, 2008 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091019064709/https://www.aclu.org/police/gen/14614pub19971201.html |archive-date=October 19, 2009 }} draw connections between this event and the subsequent activities of many organizations designed to oversee police activities.</ref> In 1992, these clips were added in the opening credits of ''[[Malcolm X (1992 film)|Malcolm X]]''.<ref>{{cite news|title=Holliday, Lee Settle 'Malcolm X' Dispute : Courts: Filmmaker reportedly agrees to pay cameraman about $100,000 for use of King beating footage.|newspaper=Los Angeles Times|last=Pristin|first=Terry|date=October 2, 1992|access-date=October 7, 2024|url-access=subscription|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1992-10-02-me-113-story.html}}</ref> On September 19, 2021, Holliday died from complications of COVID-19.<ref>{{cite news|title=George Holliday, Who Shot The Video Of Officers Beating Rodney King, Has Died|website=NPR|author=((The Associated Press))|date=September 21, 2021|access-date=October 7, 2024|url=https://www.npr.org/2021/09/21/1039236256/george-holliday-who-shot-the-video-of-officers-beating-rodney-king-has-died}}</ref>